< Previous20 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYGARDENSWork began in earnest with the help ofa local builder and his mini digger, whichallowed the couple to create differentlevels, dropping land drain pipe in underthe various levels as they went along, toget the water to flow where it shouldwithout washing everything away. “It was surprising how manyencouraging comments were made bypassers by and that really spurred us on”recalls Cliff.The garden benefits from a naturalstream, fed by several natural flowingsprings. Jill and Cliff cleverly harnessedthe very small springs within their ownbank by capturing them into a frenchdrain that circles the garden and sendsthe water flowing into a pond that theycreated for just that purpose. “Until thenyou couldn’t stand on the other side ofthe stream without sinking past yourknees,” Cliff laughs, “the plot wasformally called Bogs Lane and the housewas built on Bogs Meadow - and it’s easyto understand why.”Once the drainage was in place theland was graded into two tiers, buildingthe lower bank up by placing the trunksof trees they had taken from the top, forsafety reasons.A large fir/conifer in the centre was thebaine of Jill’s life and she was planning toremove it to improve the view from thehouse but the decision was made to stripit of its lower branches which wouldopen up the view and let much neededlight into the beds surrounding it. Likewise, out of control hedges wereremoved from the roadside and replacedwith Lincolnshire oak fencing, in keepingwith the style of garden. Fortunately, thegarden also enjoys a splendid view of aneighbouring garden and the new fenceallows that to be enjoyed to the full. “As we progressed, it was evident thatwe needed to get some form of weedcontrol and to define the different levels.So, we made areas of decking whichwould minimise weeding in that area andgive us a great seating area to appreciatethe fruits of our labour.At the top of one bank, we created alog cabin for the grandkids to play in, butthis has turned out to be the focalviewing part of the garden looking down.In fact, it’s the best seat in the house,especially with a beer in the hand.Across the top tier, we created apathway framed with tanalised wood andangular chip gravel. This again was tosuppress weeds and to facilitate a walkingarea. This path sits on top of the Frenchdrains and follows the top tier aroundand continues over the bottom level,meeting with a set of stepping stonesdown to the well established pond. Thedrains flow into the pond from both sidesthen on into the stream, so we have acontinuous change of water without theThe plot wasformally calledBogs Lane and thehouse was built onBogs Meadow, and it’seasy tounderstandwhy“””“18-21_Layout 1 11/12/2015 09:25 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY21GARDENSneed for filters.Only as a feature and to keep the waterin the pond extra clear, we placed an oldhand water pump at the pond edge andfed it via a pump situated in the streamwhich creates a natural flow back into thestream, beneath the pond sides.”The garden also benefits from an arrayof colourful hanging baskets and flower24 come to stay and feed.”The bank at the rear has been thecouples latest project; an extremely steepbank and full of bramble, weed, nettlesetc. They decided on a plan to ensure itlooked good and easy to maintain whichwasn’t easy but, with a pair of pick axes,Cliff and Jill created a bank of fiveterraces/shelves enabling them to walkunaided. “On each shelf we’ve plantedmany rhododendrons and Hydrangeasand, in between these, a range of tallgrasses that should cascade down eachshelf next year. The idea is for the bank tobe covered in colourful shrubs and grassesthat will increase in size year on year.”The couple were delighted too, whentheir efforts were rewarded with an awardfrom the Caistor in Bloom organisers; forbest frontage and won the medievalScarecrow trail during the open gardenslast year. The transformation that hastaken place in just two short years isnothing short of unbelievable and, otherthan the few days hire of a digger, is theresult of all the hard work that Jill andCliff have invested. containers that complement the style ofthe property, the banks and flower bedsare adorned with many different types offlowers ranging from annuals andperennials, shrubs and grasses.“To finish the garden off we introduceda dovecote and we’ve managed to trainthe doves to stay. We’ve had manybroods off them and at times have some18-21_Layout 1 11/12/2015 09:25 Page 422 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYHappy New Year! I hope that you havehad a lovely time with family and friendsand are now looking forward to thespring. It will be here before we know it,and you need to get your gardenprepared. It is at this time of the year that plantsare dormant, so January is a good monthto prune. Chopping and pruning may besuitable for some plants but others, suchas border perennials, will be effected bythe hoarfrost. Therefore if you do pruneand then the weather turns very cold youcan cover those shrubs with a horticulturalfleece (or old blanket) to protect them. Now is the best time to prune Wisteriasand Ornamental Vines. You need to startby removing dead, dying or damagedbranches first. Newly planted or small treescan be trimmed to encourage a goodshape. Apple and pear trees can be cutback to stimulate new growth, but nomore than 20 per cent and keep it even.However avoid pruning cherry and plumtrees in winter because they aresusceptible to disease. In respect tomature trees, I would advise that you get afully insured professional, and if in doubtask your Local Authority who theyrecommend. You also need to contact theLocal Authority if you are in aConservation Area as you may need to getprior approval before carrying out thework. A professional should be able toassist with an application. You may find that your pond becomesice-bound and you need to break it up toenable the fish to breathe. However, youneed to be careful how you do this. If yousmash it this can kill the fish due to theGARDEN ADVICEEd Fuller from FullersForestry and Landscapingshows you how to make themost of the winter months toget the best out of spring. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ERNIWINTERPROVISIONS22-23_Layout 1 11/12/2015 10:24 Page 1shock waves it can produce. Instead pour hotwater, or stand a hot saucepan on the ice until it melts ahole/air gap. Most fish seem to survive by staying at the bottomof the pool but don’t feed them. Their metabolisms have slowedand you could do more harm than good. Another animal that still needs your help are the birds. Theywill be eating seeds and berries in your garden but by keepingtheir bird tables and nut feeders full you will be providing themwith a variation in their diet Everything is going at a much slower pace in your garden dueto it being the dormant time and so now is the best time to beout and getting on. It won’t be long until your garden is goingat a much quicker pace and you may be struggling to keep up.JANUARY’SGARDEN DIARY* Move patio pots to sheltered sites during cold periods* Improve the soil the soil by spreading compost or manure over bedsand forking in* Move plants growing in the wrong place* If snow falls, knock it off the branches of evergreen shrubs and conifersto prevent branches breaking * Dig deeply areas where you’ll be planting new roses, shrubs orperennials* Clean algae and moss from paths and steps* Plant new fruit bushes and trees* Spread a mulch of compost over borders and around trees, shrubs androses* Sprinkle a top dressing of gritty compost over lawns* Dig over veg plots, mixing compost into the soil as you go* Cover rhubarb with forcing jars for an early harvest* Use cloches to warm the soil for early sowings* Dig up congested clumps of winter aconites and transplant to newsites* Buy shallots, onion sets and seed potatoes* Order bulbs, corms and tubers for summer flowersLINCOLNSHIRETODAY23PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/MAKSYM CHYSTIAKOVSpecialised Servicesin Garden DesignLandscaping andTree MaintenanceBacked by a highly-skilledand experienced team,we’ve built our reputationon an ability to provide our clients with professional, tailored gardening and forestry solutionsFREE NO OBLIGATIONQUOTATIONSFULLERSForestry & LandscapingCall 01522 868717 or 07867 510544info@fullersforestry.co.uklwww.fullersforestry.co.ukwww.landscapinglincolnshire.com22-23_Layout 1 11/12/2015 10:25 Page 224 LINCOLNSHIRETODAY“Burgh” means a “fortified place” andthere was possibly a settled in Romantimes being situated near their road fromLincoln to The Wash with (it is thought) aferry link to Norfolk. The town wasgranted a market charter in 1401 andmarkets survived until the mid-C20th.Near the church is Cock Hill a –probably C6th - burial mound whichwhen excavated in 1933 revealed someSaxon artefacts. Its present name thoughstems from its C18th use for cockfighting.St Peter and St Paul’s church features inSimon Jenkins book “England’s ThousandBest Churches”. PredominantlyPerpendicular in style its outstandingfeature is its Jacobean woodwork,especially its 1623 font. Unusually Burghhas two windmills – Dobson’s Mill (1813)to the east and Hanson’s Mill (1855) tothe west. The former was restored in 1947as a tourist attraction and the latterworked until the 1930’s. Burgh’s formerstation served the Great NorthernRailway’s Grimsby/King’s Cross line built in1848. The line survived until December1980 when both passenger and freightBURGH-LE-MARSH,GUNBY AND BRATOFTTo start the New Year we visit themarshland villages of Burgh-le-Marsh, Gunby and Bratoft on thiseasy, level walk.EXPLORINGLincolnshireON FOOTBURGH-LE-MARSHCHURCHEXPLORINGLincolnshireON FOOTservices were withdrawn. In Gunby Park grassy undulations nearthe church betray the site of Gunby’svanished mediaeval village mentioned inthe Domesday Book. Astonishingly duringWWII both the hall and this beautifullandscape were designated to disappearunder airfield runways but Field MarshalSir Archibald Massingberd appealedpersonally to the king and the airfield wasbuilt at Great Steeping instead. Ingratitude Sir Archibald gave the hall to theNational Trust. St Peter’s, by James Fowler(1868), replaced an earlier Georgianbuilding and contains Massingberdbrasses.Approaching Bratoft we pass themoated, two-acre site of the mediaevalBratoft Hall, the one-time Massingberdfamily seat. This was demolished in 1698once the Massingberd’s departed to theirnew home at Gunby.In Bratoft St Peter and St Paul’s churchwas rebuilt in the 1890’s but kept its 1747brick tower. Inside is a unique curiosity; anallegorical painting of the Spanish Armada,plus some superb, carved poppy-headMEDIAEVAL MOAT BRATOFT24-25_Layout 1 11/12/2015 09:28 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE WALKSbenches. Born in Bratoft-born wasThomas Scott a trained surgeon-apothecary who went into the church. Hespent four years (1788-1792) publishingweekly commentaries on the bible, thatwere amongst the best-sellers of his day.(Leaflets are available giving morebackground on Bratoft Hall, the Armadapainting and Reverend Scott.)NOTES.There is a picnic table outsideBratoft church. Burgh Market Place is a“Pay & Display” carpark.THE ROUTELeave the Market Place by turning right,keeping ahead into Orby Road. In 150yards go left into Pinfold Lane and at thenext road turn right. Beyond the mill takethe second entrance into Elm Crescent(opposite bus stop) and in 50 yards goright on the footpath betweenbungalows.Cross a meadow veering slightly left tocome alongside a hedge and reach a stilein the far corner and join a grass track.Shortly go through a hedge gap andcontinue past a ruined cottage to a 3-wayfootpath sign. Keep straight ahead aimingjust left of a bungalow and continue to alane. Turn right there and at the mainroad cross to the pavement and turn left.In a mile, just after Burgh station, re-cross the road into a farmyard walkingthrough to a gate, then keep forward pastsheds and through the gap in the treesahead. Next cross an arable field towardsa hedge gap and stile to enter GunbyPark. Walk directly forwards to reachGunby church.Once level with the church (althoughthere’s no fingerpost or waymark) turn 90degrees left (keeping two large dead treesto your right) and walk over the park toreach a gate and stile in a hedge corner. Ashort grass path now leads to a secondgate and stile. From it bear left beside awire fence to a third gate and stile. Nowfollow a grass track, veering first left andthen right between trees and a hedge toa track junction. From a waymark bear leftthrough woods and at an arable field walkstraight across to a hedge gap at the oldrailway.Continue along the headland oppositeto a stile and pass round the Bratoft Hallmoated site to another gate and stile.ponds and then turning right to reach astile. Now follow a headland by afence/hedge to another stile then go righta few paces into the next field. Bear leftby another fence until you reach afootbridge. Cross this and keep aheadpast two gates to a road. Turn right.At the edge of Burgh cross WainfleetRoad into Hall Lane. After 200 yards takethe signed footpath on your left; this joinsa road near Burgh churchyard gate, Walkthrough the churchyard and down to themain road. Cross and turn left back to thestart.by Hugh MarrowsIN GUNBY PARKCOCK HILL BURGHBRATOFT CHURCHTake the track leftwards and at a road enterthe lane opposite. Take the first left forBratoft church there turning right at the“T” junction. The lane bears left to a “T”junction; keep ahead here soon reaching awelcome “Rest Awhile” seat.Continue to a sharp left-hand bend andthen bear right along a green lane. When afootpath crosses it go left following themeadow edge to its corner and cross twofootbridges. Now cross another meadow toa stile and gate and in the next fieldcontinue to another stile at a road. Crossinto the drive opposite to pass alongside alaurel hedge before going left betweenBURGH MARKET PLACEFACTFILESTART: Market Place, Burgh-le-MarshDISTANCE: 6¾ miles • 11.0 kilometresMAPS: OS Landranger 122 (Skegness) • Explorer 274REFRESHMENTS: Burgh-le-Marsh - Burgh Inn • The Bell • The White Hart • The Fleece• Community tearooms (Behind library)24-25_Layout 1 11/12/2015 09:28 Page 226 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYIf Watership Down proved anything, it’s that nature is averitable cornucopia of arduous hard graft. The plight of thosepoor bunnies might have some basis in fact –anthropomorphisation and the warbling Art Garfunkel aside –and nowhere is this idea as epitomised in Lincolnshire thenwith the humble brown hare. Despite that, there’s a scruffykind of majesty to the animal, which is far too easy to overlook. There’s no motion that isn’t committed without a sense ofurgency. From its boxing romps come thebreeding season, to its zigzagged dash whendisturbed from slumber, the hare is a spring-heeled blighter. With a top speed of around43 miles per hour, the flatlands of our regionpresent no more of a challenge than giving ahungry fox the slip. Despite its impressive speed and ample hindlegs, there’s an undeniable grace to the brownhare, a dignity in the sunset orange of its eyesor the deep umber of its coat. Its black tipped ears add aquizzical aspect to its appearance, living up to its endearingmoniker, mad march hare. January marks the start of the breeding season, which lastswell into the summer, so expect frolicking aplenty in theDespite adversity, the brown hare has become one of the county’s mostendearing and emblematic critters. LincolnshirewildlifePHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/JAMIE HALLPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ALEXANDER ERDBEERcoming months. Female hares can rear three or four litters eachyear, with each made up of two to four youngsters. Known asleverets, the baby hares are born fully furred and with theireyes open ready to face whatever life throws their way. Since the sixties, the population of brown hares hasplummeted, with some estimates coming in at 75 per cent. InLincolnshire, however, the hare is still a common site. Sadly,hare coursing is an ongoing threat. Despite being very muchan illegal past time, multiple arrests took placeduring the tail end of 2015. Provided courserstoddle off, a healthy hare can live to 3 or 4years young. Hares favour exposed landscapes, relying ontheir acute senses to warn of any impendingdanger. Unlike rabbits, who live inunderground warrens, hares kip in forms,which are simply a small depression in theground among long grass. It’s here where theyspend most of the day, coming out to feed on grass shoots andcereal crops at night. The start of a new year is typically focussed aroundresolutions and self-improvement, but spare a thought for theunassuming hare this January. After all, if we don’t who will?January marksthe start of thebreeding season,which lasts wellinto the summer26-27_Layout 1 11/12/2015 09:32 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY11PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/JAMIE HALL26-27_Layout 1 11/12/2015 09:32 Page 228 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFASHIONChristmas may have passed, but the partyseason is still upon us, so get those ball gownsand black dresses ready. PRIMEDPARTY Christmas may have passed, but the partyseason is still upon us, so get those ball gownsand black dresses ready. for thefor the28-37_Layout 1 11/12/2015 09:35 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY29FASHIONGerry Weber Confident and chic – GerryWeber’s Taifun collection is atreasure trove of seasonal style. 28-37_Layout 1 11/12/2015 09:35 Page 2Next >